The Fight for Love
by dreamingofyou4ever
Summary: What happens when Edward never returns for Bella? This story takes place later that year with Jacob falling more in-love with her. Will Bella chose to give up hoping for Edward's return or will she keep him in her heart forever? Plus a stranger returns.
1. CliffDiving

"Here take my hand, Bells," Jake told her as they looked over the ledge

"Here take my hand, Bells," Jake told her as they looked over the ledge. "You're not scared right?"

Bella couldn't help but laugh. "Of course not, I've done this before. Remember?"

"Oh yeah, how could I forget?" Jake asked her in a sarcastic tone. "This time make sure you hold onto me 'cause I don't feel like fishing you out of the water and giving you CPR again, though I did enjoy it immensely."

"Why do you have to ruin my fun all the time?" She asked him teasingly giving him a slight push.

"I guess that's just the kind of person I am, but you know it's because I care about you," he said giving her a look that could show his true feelings. He loved her so much if only she would know his true feelings perhaps she would feel that way about him.

"Yeah I know," she said with a soft voice. Bella could tell that Jacob was in-love with her and part of her wish that she could feel the same way about him because she knew that Edward was never going to come back. Yet, she could never tell Jake that the whole reason for this was to Edward's voice once more.

"Are you ready?" He asked making sure she was okay.

"Yes I think so," her voice was unwavering, but fear began to fill her body. What if she couldn't hear Edward and all of this was just a waste of time? Since this was the fourth time she had done it this week. She didn't have much time to think as they jumped off the cliff together.

That's when she heard his flawless voice, "Bella what are you doing? This can never replace me. Just let go and forget me like I forgot you. It's better this way you know you love him, never as much as me but still you do." With that his voice faded into nothing as she hit the cold icy water that reminded her of being embraced by him.

That wasn't what she wanted. She never wanted to hear him say that. It couldn't possibly be true. He hadn't forgotten about her she knew he hadn't, but the voice had sound so sure and real more real than anything else. She couldn't think as she sunk farther into the icy gray water. Finally she realized that her lungs had run out of air, but she didn't care or try to swim towards the surface. She felt a hard pull on her arm as she slowly drifted to towards Jacob.

"Bella, come on you promised me I wouldn't have to do this," Jacob pleaded.

Bella slowly opened her eyes. She was laying on the beach with Jacob leaning over her. "Wh..what happened?" She asked weakly slowly breathing in.

"Well you kind of managed to let go off me and just drifted towards the bottom of the ocean once again."

"Oh sorry, well thanks for saving me again." She tried to show some appreciation but it wasn't working.

"What exactly happened? You looked fine, but as soon as we jumped your whole attitude change, it looked like you were going to be sick," he commented studying her for some sign of what could be wrong.

She didn't want to tell him that every part of her body was weak and she felt incredibly sick from the voice. Jake could never know about it because she knew how much it would hurt him if he found out Bella was only using him to get closer to Edward once again. "It was nothing, I feel fine now," she told him wishing she was a better liar.

Not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable with the conversation Jake decided to drop it. She was starting to shake from the cold water that felt refreshing on his blazing skin. "You're shaking Bells, come here," he took her into his arms trying to give her some heat.

She seemed thankful for the kind gesture and soon her body was strangely calm.. He looked down at her; she was half-asleep in his arms taking in all the warmth. Well at least she appreciated her own personal heater Jake thought to himself. He slowly picked her up and carried her to his car. She was asleep by the time he placed her in the passenger seat. Jake couldn't help but look at her she appeared so peaceful and perfect with her wet hair hanging loosely over her face and the sun hitting her just right. He wished with all his might that she could be his, but he knew that Edward still had her heart and it was up to him to save her from those evil clutches and take her somewhere better. Even he had to admit though each day she was getting slightly better, except for times like these when her face became pale and refused to tell him the truth about it. He couldn't think about that now as he slowed down in front of her house.

As if on cue Bella opened her eyes blinking a few times trying to figure out where they were. "Where are we?" She asked looking over at Jake.

"We're at your house. You looked a little tired so I decided to take you home," Jake told her as he opened up the car door.

"Oh well thanks. I needed to get home anyway so I could get dinner started for Charlie," she said knowing that he already knew this.

They both climbed out of the cars and headed toward her house. Once they reached the door Jake spoke up, "Well thanks for coming with me today. I guess I'll talk to you later." With that he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek making her turn scarlet. She didn't know if it was because she liked him or the fact she felt like someone watching them. Either way it made Jake smile as he turned around to leave as Bella went inside.

Jake slowly walked to his car hating himself for not asking to stay with her. He felt a presence there and he couldn't tell if it was a good or bad one. Finally deciding that he should stay there until Charlie got home he went back towards the house. He knocked on the door waiting for Bella to come back.

She had already started dinner and it was obvious by the way she looked when she got to the door. She was happy, but a little surprised to see him there. "Oh hey. Is something wrong?" She asked giving him a questioning look.

"No… well yes, I didn't want to stop being with you yet, but I didn't know how you would feel about that," he said awkwardly.

Bella couldn't help but giggle at this, "Of course you can stay I'm sure Charlie would love to have you over for dinner."

Jake's face lit up as Bella opened the door farther and she led him inside. Closing the door behind her she walked towards the kitchen with Jacob holding hands with him. Little did they know that someone laid within the forest carefully watching their every move.


	2. Dinner for Three

Jacob was excited that Bella had actually let him come in without any fuss

Jacob was excited that Bella had actually let him come in without any fuss. She usually would if he begged hard enough, but today was different maybe she wanted more alone time with him. They were best friends, but perhaps she too wanted them to be more than that. Then there was always the possibility that Bella felt the presence there, too, but he decided it would be better to leave that question unasked.

Bella felt a sense of relief as she peered outside the door into the empty woods. For some reason she had this feeling that someone was still out there. Trying not to let it get in her head she closed the door behind her glad that Jake had decided to come back whatever his reasons were. He was staring at her when she turned around and she attempted a small smile before heading to the kitchen. Jake grabbed her hand sending a wave of heat through her body causing Bella to have a real smile on her face. Jake followed behind her into the other room glad he had come back.

"Could you get some things out the fridge for me?" Bella asked letting go of Jake's hand as she walked over towards the stove and turning it on. He willing obeyed her simple task and began to remove her requested items from the fridge. He then placed each one on the counter slowly and deliberately watching her closely.

Bella was conceiting on the task at hand when Jake came up from behind her wrapping his arms around her waist. She didn't know how to respond as her body began to stiffen to the surprise action. Soon everything relaxed as her body welcomed the heat escaping from Jake's body. She leaned back against hoping that the clothes which numbed her body would dry out some. Even if they didn't she would go upstairs to change after putting out the plates and silverware.

Jake caught Bella off guard again as he turned her around giving her the most full blown kiss of her life. She tried to enjoy it as her mind wondered between Edward and Jake. She couldn't help but think that nothing like this could happen between her and Edward because of who he was and the fact that he had left her life. Instead of being dragged back into the past she let herself get caught up into the moment.

That's when she felt it. Like someone was watching them, though that couldn't be possibly because they would've heard Charlie coming in and no one every really visited them anymore. Bella flashed open her eyes catching a glimpse of something, but it couldn't be it was impossible she knew that. A whole new wave of depression swept over her as she walked towards the window with Jake right behind her. He gave her his hand and she unconsciously took it from him.

"Are you okay, Bells?" Jake asked looking at her with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing," Bella answered obviously preoccupied.

Bella let go of Jake's hand walked back towards the stove to check on the noodles. After that she opened one of the cabinets pulling out three white plates that had a blue floral trim to them. She closed the cabinet and walked out to the table placing each plate at a separate spot. Once that was completed she walked back into the kitchen and grabbed some silverware for them to use. The whole time Jake stood behind her wishing he knew what he could say to her. Finally the silence was broken by Bella.

"Jake."

"Yeah," he answered with uncertainty.

"Could you check on the noodles for me in a few minutes? I'll be right back," she told him knowing he would say yes.

"Yeah that's fine. Where are you going?" he asked hoping she would tell him the truth.

"I need to go change. I've been wearing these soggy clothes for too long and I'm pretty sure I most of my body is numb from them," Bella answered trying to make him smile, which he surprisingly did.

He looked at her and realized that her clothes were still soaked through. His however had been dried by the time they had gotten back from the house. "Okay, take your time," he said almost as if it were a command.

Bella gave him a light smile and turn toward the stairs and took them one at a time. As soon as Bella turned around Jake's face became more serious as he turned around. He peered out the window into the seemingly empty forest that was near the house trying to decide what to do.

Bella finally reached the landing to the stairs letting out a sigh of relief. That trip seemed to take forever as she hurriedly walked into her room ready to take off the wet clothes that were sticking to her body. Her room was messier than usual with a disarray of dirty clothes that covered her floor along with random paperwork from school and work. She pulled out a pair of gray sweats from her closet and a navy shirt with the police academy logo on the back of it. Peeling off her wet clothes quickly she pulled on the dry warmer ones she had just picked out. She looked into the mirror staring at her reflection. Most of the color was gone from her cheeks and her damp hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Pulling it back into a ponytail she studied herself again trying to figure out some way to make herself look more presentable. Finally she gave up and turned away from the stranger that stared back at her.

"Jake did you check those noodles for me?" Bella asked as she walked down the stairs. She reached the kitchen and looked inside to find it empty. Not thinking much about it Bella went to the stove to remove the noodles and drain the water.

"Need me to do anything?" asked Jake coming up behind her.

"Can you take this to the table?" Bella asked handing him the bowl filled with macaroni and cheese.

"Yeah sure no problem," Jake answered taking the bowl from her. He was back in a few seconds seeing if she needed anymore help.

Bella took the chicken out of the stove and placed in a plate and carried it out to the table. "Where did you go?" she asked with a seemingly innocent question.

"I needed to get something from my car," he answered with a tone that hinted her to drop the subject.

Bella obeyed his silent command and tried to think of a change of topic.

"Are you more comfortable now?" he asked looking at her dry clothes.

She nodded yes not feeling the need for a verbal response. The awkwardness was engulfing them now when the door opened. All tension was let out with the entry of Charlie.

"Anyone home?" he asked knowing that the two of them were somewhere in the house. He smiled when entering the room showing his pride for Bella and his happiness that Edward might be leaving her constant thoughts. Causing Bella to blush and look down at the ground.

"Are you ready for dinner? I've made chicken and macaroni and cheese," Bella informed him.

"Sure sounds good. As long as you guys are ready," Charlie answered as walked over to the table.

The three of them sat down at the table to enjoy the delicious meal that Bella had made for them.


	3. As the Shadows Watch

It was their fourth time on the cliff this week

It was their fourth time on the cliff this week. He had been watching her come and go with him the past week with their different activities in mind. Envy would surge through him every time he could hear Jacob's thoughts coming closer. Soon the feeling would repress at the sight of Bella as a feeling a desire overcame him. Eventually they would leave and he would remain there waiting for their return. On the rare occasion that they went somewhere other than La Push he could follow cautiously behind them making sure Bella stayed safe. However, today was one of the days he was forced to stay behind and wait patiently for their return hoping that Bella stayed safe.

Soon the engine of Jake's car could be heard along with his thoughts. He seemed worry about Bella for some reason or another. It seemed like she had almost drowned and if it wasn't for Jake she would be floating lifelessly in the middle of the ocean. Edward didn't dwell on this thought long as the car pulled around the bend. The car slowed to a stop in front of the house. Reluctantly Jake woke Bella up walking her to the door. He seemed hesitant at first trying to decide what move he should do next. He kissed her on the cheek causing her to blush slightly; Edward loathed Jacob at the moment wishing he could rip his head off. Jacob turned around heading back to his car, but paused halfway there he could sense Edward and it bothered him that he could be this close. Turning around he decided to stay with Bella until Charlie arrived. His only concern was if she would let him stay or not.

Jacob stood at the door still contemplating on if he should stay or not; finally after a few seconds he knocked loudly three times. Bella was at the door within a minute or two with a surprised, but slightly disappointed look on her face. Her hair was plastered up from being wet and it looked like she had managed to get flour or something else over her face already from preparing dinner. She was soon smiling covering the short wave of disappoint that had filled her for one reason or another.

"Hey, is something wrong?" she asked with a polite curious voice.

"No… well yeah. I didn't want to leave you, but I didn't know how you would feel about it," Jacob told her trying to figure out the best thing to say without causing alarm.

Edward was furious again, Jacob was going to stop at nothing to keep Bella away from him. If only she knew he was here then things would be different. Edward caught himself again trying to make himself remember that the only reason he was here was to make sure she was happy without him. He closed his eyes calming the storm that was within him.

"Of course you can come in. I was just preparing dinner and I'm sure Charlie would love to have you over for the night," she told him with a smile.

Jacob thoughts began to wonder again as Bella turned her back to him to go back into the kitchen. Edward realized what little time he had to act before he lost her to Jacob as he went inside and as Bella shut the door behind him.

Edward crept closer to the house making sure neither one of them saw him as he peered inside. They were in the kitchen now with Bella making something on the stove and Jake next to frig grabbing some things Bella asked him to get. There was nothing out of the ordinary that caused Edward to become uneasy, but still he sat there patiently waiting. He's actions were sudden and instinctive as Jacob came from behind Bella holding onto her waist sending a fiery heat over her wet body. He was snuggling his head in her moist hair as Bella stood there perfectly still. Edward longed to have the ability to read Bella's mind as Jacob continued and he couldn't help but feel envious of the situation. Edward shook his head trying to control all the emotions that he was feeling along with tuning out Jacob's thoughts.

Edward continued to watch them wondering how far Jacob was willing to go. In one swift motion he had managed to turn Bella towards him. He planted a full blown kiss on her making her turn stiff, but within seconds she gently kissed him back. She had given in to the temptation that had been driving Jacob insane the entire night. He continued to stare forgetting to keep hidden in the forest as he slowly approached the house. Bella suddenly opened her eyes as Edward ran back into the forest before she could even think she saw anything.

He watched her walk carefully to the window looking outside. She seemed sad and distressed as she stared blankly out toward him. He could tell she thought she had seen him, but she would never be sure of it. Jacob walked up behind her taking her into his steaming arms. Still she stood rigid as he held onto her tight asking what was wrong. Bella would refuse to tell him, Edward knew that and it was confirmed as they both turned from the window. As Jacob's questions remained unanswered.

Bella continued to make the dinner for the three of them lost in her own thoughts. Jacob was persistent though as he kept asking her questions. Her answers were usually consisting of yes and no before she could sink back into her own thoughts. She walked slowly back and forth from the kitchen to the dinning room taking the plates first and then the silverware. Meanwhile, Edward continued to watch them from the woods making sure to stay hidden within the trees.

Bella turned her attention towards Jake for only a few seconds before going upstairs to change. She took each step slowly as if dreading her destination. If only he could just appear in her room like he used to do so long ago. He was starting to lose track of his senses when he heard someone's thoughts from behind him. Edward turned around to find Jacob only a few feet from him.

"What are you doing here, bloodsucker?" snarled Jake as he stared down Edward.

Edward's face was filled with short glimpse of surprise before he answered with a smile on his face. "What is it to you dog?"

Jake began to shake from anger but was soon under control trying to keep his cool. "I'll ask you again nicely before tearing you to shreds," Jake told him prepared to fight Edward.

"I'm just making sure she's okay. That's she moved on with her life. That's all," he answered trying to keep it simple.

"Well in case you were wondering, her life has been hell for awhile. But thanks to me that has changed. If she really sees you, though everything I've done will be ruined. So I suggest that you leave now!" he said finishing it off in an angry voice.

"I will and she will never see me if that's what she wants," he answered in a coolly.

"Well she doesn't want to see you so should just go on with your life without her," Jacob snapped back.

"If that's what she wants then that's what she'll get, but I suggest you go back inside mongrel before she realizes you're out here," Edward told him taking a step closer.

Jacob backed up for the smell was horrible as it filled his nose. "I will, but just so you know you're no longer wanted here so keep that in mind," he told Edward before turning around.

Edward tried not to show the pain this statement caused him. At the same time he was happy to know that Bella had actually moved on with her life, which was what he wanted in the end. Still an empty sadness filled him as he watched Jacob return to the house with a sense of pride. The night began to set upon them as Charlie pulled up in the driveway with a strong feeling of happiness. It became even stronger as he entered the house seeing Bella with Jacob. He was glad to see that she was finally over Edward. Still Edward sat within the trees as it started to rain. Thinking of what he should now do with his life.


End file.
